


lead you here despite your destination

by CaseofUnderjoy (lullabelle)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: But only if you squint, Ficlet, Gen, Sam and Cas are bros, a little angsty, lowkey destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 02:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10178954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lullabelle/pseuds/CaseofUnderjoy
Summary: Cas doesn't sleep. Sam just can't. At least it's nice out.





	

Sam thinks the idea of Castiel alone outside is what upset Dean, but the fact of the matter is three grown men really can’t sleep inside the Impala, and Castiel isn’t going to be affected by the cold the way either of them would be. He doesn’t even need to sleep. He just can’t fly right now, which is why he’s taking the slow route with them, in the back seat of the Impala, when it’s not serving as Dean’s bed. 

Usually Dean is the one with the sleeping troubles but as the clock slips past one, and then past two, Sam finally has to admit he probably isn’t sleeping tonight. He sits up and stretches, scooting over to the door. He liberates two El Sols from the cooler before opening the Impala’s door and closing it behind him as gently as he can. Dean doesn’t stir.

He hadn’t been able to see Cas from inside the car, but he doesn’t think he’s far. His hunch pays off when he finds him about a hundred yards away, sitting on a rocky bank of the river they’d parked near.

Castiel looks up as Sam draws near, though Sam’s sure he’d been aware of his presence well before. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope,” Sam confirms. He sits down on the rock beside Castiel and hands him one of the beers.

“You know this won’t do much for me,” Castiel says, cautiously.

“I know,” Sam says. “Giving someone a beer is a gesture of good will.”

“Oh,” Cas says. He pops the beer cap off in one quick upward movement of his thumb, even though it’s a twist-off. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Sam uses the bottom of his shirt to open his own beer. Maybe it’ll help him sleep, but he doubts it. He’s as awake now as he’s ever been, though that likely won’t be a true statement in six hours when they’re back on the road.

They don’t talk for a while. It’s more comfortable than you’d expect. Sam watches the sky, like he’s done so many nights sitting on the hood of the Impala with Dean. Castiel continues to watch the sluggish flow of the river. They’ll be crossing the desert soon, probably around midday. Sam’s always liked the desert. He’d crossed the continental US a dozen times before he’d turned ten, and he thinks the desert is the only place he’s ever been that’s well and truly different. When he'd been young, it'd felt to him like an alien planet.

Which makes him wonder.

“Have you ever been to other planets, Cas?” he asks.

“Yes,” Castiel says. He doesn’t look away from the river. “It was lonely, but I liked the view.”

Sam realizes he might be hedging on a touchy subject, but curiosity gets the better of him. “Do you miss it?" he asks. "Visiting space?”

Castiel looks away from the water, back to the car where Dean is sleeping and then down to the beer he’s holding. He looks Sam in the eyes, holds his gaze just long enough for it to be uncomfortable. “No,” he says, and takes a drink.


End file.
